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Published on: August 25, 2016
Intermediate frequency band digitized high dynamic range radiometer system for plasma diagnostics and real-time
W A Bongers1, V van Beveren, D J Thoen
1FOM-Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, Association EURATOM-FOM, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, PO Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|July 5, 2011
Summary
A new digitizing radiometer system offers flexible frequency and time resolution for Tokamak diagnostics. This system enables real-time measurement of plasma instabilities like neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) and sawtooth instabilities.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Millimeter-wave technology
- Advanced diagnostics
Background:
- Tokamak fusion devices require sophisticated diagnostics for control and research.
- Conventional electron cyclotron emission (ECE) spectrometer systems have limitations in flexibility and real-time analysis.
- Advancements in high-speed analog-to-digital converters and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) enable new diagnostic approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a flexible intermediate frequency (IF) band digitizing radiometer system for Tokamak diagnostics.
- To leverage fast digitizing technology for real-time analysis of millimeter-wave signals.
- To demonstrate the system's capability in measuring electron cyclotron emission (ECE) and plasma instabilities.
Main Methods:
- Development of a digitizing radiometer system operating in the 100-200 GHz range.
- Direct digitization of the IF band using multi-giga sample analog-to-digital converters.
- Implementation of FPGAs for real-time data analysis, including Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
- Testing and performance comparison with conventional ECE spectrometer systems on the TEXTOR Tokamak.
Main Results:
- Successful proof-of-principle demonstration on the TEXTOR Tokamak.
- The system effectively measures ECE and high-power injected/scattered radiation.
- Demonstrated capability to measure the phase of coherent signals, offering advantages for diagnostics and control.
- Real-time FFT implementation allows flexible trade-offs between frequency and time resolution.
Conclusions:
- The developed digitizing radiometer system provides enhanced flexibility for Tokamak diagnostics and control.
- Its ability to measure signal phase and offer flexible resolution is crucial for understanding plasma instabilities.
- Potential applications include smart sensing of neoclassical tearing modes (NTM) and sawtooth instabilities with improved spatial resolution.
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